


Firsts

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-29 20:39:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17210561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Viktor's first date with Tyler goes very well. Viktor and Tyler belong to sso_Viktor7.





	Firsts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sso_Viktor7](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sso_Viktor7/gifts).



Viktor's body jangled with nerves as he looked at his freckled face in the mirror of his tiny bathroom in his equally-small apartment in Jarlaheim. He looked handsome, at least, he hadn't suddenly acquired a huge pimple overnight (or a bruise, those were less-often now but a bruise could still happen thanks to working with horses or just nerves from his impending date). And he knew that Tyler thought he looked good, his crush had only told him a thousand times. But should he wear the red jacket, or the blue shirt, or his darker jeans or lighter jeans, or these shoes or the other boots...

Viktor couldn't help but laugh to himself at his racing thoughts. What the hell was he doing? He'd look fine, Tyler would love him no matter what he looked like. He wondered if his best friend fretted like this before a date, she probably did. And then he considered calling her to ask for her help, but now he knew that he was just procrastinating. It was almost nine, and he was supposed to meet Tyler at ten. He'd been too nervous to eat breakfast, honestly.

At last, Viktor ran a comb through his hair one more time, his thick hair somehow not becoming tangled in the teeth of the comb, and put on his red jacket over a white t-shirt, pairing it with the dark blue jeans and brown boots. It would do. He should stop wasting time and just go.

Phantom raised his head, flicking his ears forward as Viktor entered Jorvik Stables, the young man immediately walking over to give his beloved horse a pet on his velvety nose. The light bay gelding had once been Viktor's only friend in the world, once upon a time. Though that was thankfully no longer the case, Viktor and Phantom still shared a special bond that only Soul Riders and Keepers of the Light had with their horses.

"Well, let's go, boy," said Viktor, opening the stall door and trusting Phantom to walk out on his own. Had anyone been watching him, they would have been terrified that the young man had let this 'dangerous' animal out of his stall without a leadrope. But Phantom appreciated the trust, repaying it by standing near the crossties so that Viktor could put on his saddle pad, saddle, and bridle.

Viktor would be lying if he said that he wasn't nervous as he and Phantom set out from Jorvik Stables and travelled down the road that wound around Jarlaheim. He rode Phantom at a walk at first, warming his horse up, though they cantered through the green forest of Greendale. Phantom even braved a jump, something that he rarely did. Viktor gave his horse a loving pet on the neck and some encouraging words, Phantom snorting his thanks as he continued to canter along the road, passing through an overgrown tunnel and then continuing down the road past Wolf Hall Inn.

It was as they crossed the bridge spanning the Silversong River that Viktor started to ask Phantom for more speed which his horse gladly gave. He really didn't want to be late, though he knew that he would be if he didn't hurry. Rather than continuing down the road that led to Silverglade, Viktor turned Phantom to ride across Nilmer's Highland past the circus tent. Phantom leaped this small stone fence easily as well, probably feeling his rider's eagerness to be there. Viktor was surprised to find that his nerves had vanished during the ride, perhaps because of it. Indeed, he felt... excited as he approached the walls of Silverglade Village.

And, when Viktor saw the cute little house that Tyler lived in (he was renting from a sweet little old landlady who had the good grace to call him a nice young man), he felt his heart skip a beat. He stopped Phantom a little ways from the house, though, before walking up the front path to knock on the door.

"Oh, you must be Viktor!" said the little old lady who answered the door. "Tyler has been talking about this all morning, he's quite excited. Though, he did fret a little over what to wear. In my day, we wore sensible riding clothes on trail riding dates. Of course, these days, you young people wear all sorts of things when you're out riding. But never mind that, things are different these days."

"Mrs McCleary, be nice to my date," said Tyler, laughing as he came to the front door. Viktor tried not to stare too much at Tyler's outfit, he'd worn a very nice white t-shirt and dark blue jeans for their date.

"Tyler, dear, you might need a coat," said the old lady, looking him over. "Never mind, I'll get you one, my old Frank had one that he wore all the time."

"Ah, no need, I'll just grab one," said Tyler, looking apologetically from Mrs McCleary to Viktor. Vik only grinned, knowing that he could laugh about this with Tyler later.

True to his word, Tyler disappeared but reappeared moments later pulling a black leather jacket on over his shoulders. Vik blushed at how good his date looked in that, especially with his black hair combed back.

"Ready to go?" Tyler asked, grinning. Viktor nodded, mirroring his date's grin.

"Don't be back too late now, dear," said Mrs McCleary. Tyler laughed, giving the old woman a hug.

"I'll be back in time for dinner," said Tyler.

"Good, I'm making your favourite," said Mrs McCleary.

"Meat and three veg," said Tyler, grinning. "My favourite."

"Go on, have fun on your date," said Mrs McCleary. She smiled as she watched the two leave, waving from her door until they were out of sight.

"You look nice," said Viktor, trying to break the awkward silence as he walked beside Tyler out of Silverglade Village to the stable to grab Fairytale, his white mare.

"So do you," said Tyler. "But you always look nice." Vik grinned, which made his whole face light up. He mounted Phantom while Tyler headed inside the stable at Steve's farm, emerging with the white mare. Viktor still remembered the first time he'd seen that mare, when Phantom had trotted over to greet her as an old friend. How strange, that his horse could have introduced him to the young man who would eventually make his heart feel like this.

"Hey there, Fairytale," said Viktor as the mare pricked her ears up and trotted over to nuzzle Phantom in greeting. It was one of the rare moments when Phantom seemed to let his guard down.

"Let's go, we're wasting daylight," said Ty, settling into his saddle and picking up the reins. "I hear Golden Hills is really pretty this time of year, so let's go."

"Golden Hills is always pretty," said Viktor.

"Exactly," said Ty with a wink. "That's why I chose it."

They set off, Viktor's earlier nerves vanishing as Tyler took the lead in the conversation. He never shut up, talking about the gossip in the village (Mrs McCleary was a bit of a gossip, as it turned out), adventures with Fairytale, everything else that he'd been getting up to. He was planning on moving to Dundull, and also told Viktor about how those plans were progressing. The main problem seemed to be finding the perfect place.

"You could always build the perfect place," said Viktor. "You're a handyman, I'm sure you can do it."

"That's a great idea!" said Tyler, his brown eyes lighting up as Fairytale plodded along beneath him. "See, you're always so full of great ideas."

"Glad you think so," said Viktor with a laugh.

"I mean it," said Ty, riding a little closer to nudge Viktor. "You're so great, I wish you'd see it." Viktor didn't know what to say to that, only smiled and rode on.

The rest of the ride passed in much the same manner, Tyler continuing to chatter on about his daily life and movies he'd seen and musical artists he'd been listening to lately. In return, Viktor told him about training adventures, what he'd been getting up to, some new dance routines that he'd been trying out.

"You should show me some of them," said Tyler. "I'd like to see you dance."

"Oh, uh... really?" Viktor asked, a blush crawling up his neck and heating his cheeks. "I dance... sexy."

"That doesn't sound like such a bad thing," said Tyler. His wink made Viktor feel like he might melt into a puddle any second. But somehow, he continued on, remaining in a solid state despite how molten his insides now felt.

"Should we have lunch while we're here?" Viktor asked as they passed through the fishing village. The smell of fried fish masked the rather more unpleasant fishy smell that hung around the fishing village like a cloud.

"If you want," said Ty. "Are you paying?" His cheeky grin made Viktor laugh.

"You know what? Yes, I am paying," said Viktor. Ty's grin widened, and Viktor felt a little afraid.

"Then I shall order everything on the menu," said Tyler. Viktor laughed, though he hoped like hell that Tyler wasn't serious.

Thankfully, it was only a wrapped parcel of fish and chips that Tyler carried on his lap as they crossed the bridge and rode onto the beach of Goldenleaf Stables' island. They parked their horses near some beach grass and sat up against the cliff face, in a spot that wasn't too close to the racetrack or indeed part of the racetrack. It felt secluded here, the waves washing up on shore a few metres away from them. Tyler unrolled the paper and they feasted, trying to ignore the seagulls who suddenly decided that the chips must be fed to them.

"Don't feed them," said Viktor, putting his hand over Tyler's when his date pulled his hand back to throw a chip at the teeming mass of seagulls. Tyler looked at him.

"Why not?" asked Tyler.

"It's bad for them," said Viktor.

"Yeah, they're not great for us either," said Tyler, but he began to pull his hand away. And then stopped, realising that Viktor's hand was over his. Quickly, Viktor snatched his hand back, his cheeks flaming as his heart pounded.

"Sorry," said Viktor, looking away from Tyler. "I'm just- passionate about birds, I guess."

"Don't be," said Tyler, still not letting go of the chip. "It's good to be passionate about something. It's one of the things I like about you." Suddenly, the day seemed very hot. Too hot. Especially when Tyler held the chip up to Viktor. "Since the birds can't have it, I'll let another bird have it." Viktor gaped at him, Tyler taking the opportunity to poke the chip into his mouth. Viktor chewed, blushing while Tyler giggled.

After they'd eaten, Viktor decided to head for the labyrinth shore so that the horses could splash around in the water a little. Besides, the wind there cooled him off.

"Are there really pirates here?" Tyler asked when the pair finally came out on the other side. Both horses had ended up going for a swim (Fairytale had slipped in while Phantom had worriedly swum after her) so the legs of both riders and horses were soaked with sea water, though neither seemed to mind.

"They're smugglers, yes," said Viktor, nodding.

Tyler grinned, nudging his heels into Fairytale's sides. "Let's go see them."

"They're probably still out," said Viktor, but he followed Ty anyway. Sure enough, the cave was empty.

"Aww," Tyler pouted. "Well, there goes that idea I guess." Viktor gave him a smile, very much enjoying Tyler's enthusiasm. It really did help to shine a ray of sunlight onto him. Almost as if Tyler were pure sunshine.

True to Tyler's earlier words to Mrs McCleary, the two of them did spend the entire day on their date. It was mostly Tyler exploring things and making a grand adventure out of it. Viktor found himself grinning more than he ever had before, his nerves all gone now that Tyler had effectively taken him out of his shell but still in his comfort zone.

The end of the day found the pair sitting on the banks of the Silversong River behind the riding hall, right where the river emptied out into the ocean. The sun was setting, casting a long glow over the water. It would have been better on the beach at the stables but, well, it was too late to go back there now. Maybe some other day.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" said Tyler, his arms folded on his knees which were drawn up in front of him.

"Yeah, it is," said Viktor. He'd seen in many movies this popular scene, when the main character was watching the sunset with their love interest. He'd thought that it was cheesy, but it was true- he wasn't looking at or talking about the sunset. Though it was pretty, when he glanced at it.

He was too busy looking at Viktor, at the way the sunset cast his face in an almost orangey glow. The sunlight even picked out lighter hues in Tyler's dark eyes. And Viktor found, to his surprise, that he really, really wanted to kiss Tyler right now. And so he looked away, out at the sunset, trying not to act too soon. He didn't see Tyler's eyes slide from the sunset to him, where Tyler noticed that Viktor's eyes looked like whisky in the sunlight. He dropped his hand down, placing it over Viktor's as their hands rested on the sand between them. Viktor stiffened but didn't pull away.

They remained like that until the sun had set, sneaking glances when the other wasn't looking. At one point, their eyes met and Viktor froze up before Tyler grinned and leaned in to push a stray curl behind Viktor's ear. But he didn't do any more than that, though Viktor felt that touch long after Tyler had pulled his hand away.

After the sun had finally set, Tyler rose to his feet, cracking his back.

"We should get back," said Tyler. "I told Mrs McCleary tonight and it's night now."

"It certainly is," said Viktor, glancing up at the dark sky where stars were beginning to appear. He'd wished on stars, once upon a time. They never came true, but... well, wishing for a kiss wasn't too cheesy, was it?

The ride back to Silverglade Village was significantly quieter, filled with the singing of crickets and the calls of night birds. Neither of them wanted this to end, though neither of them would admit it. Viktor glanced away for a moment as his eyes filled with tears when Silverglade Village came into view, a walled village filled with the warmly-glowing lights of street lamps and houses.

"I had a nice day," said Viktor as he stood with Tyler in front of the house where he could indeed smell meat and vegetables cooking.

"Me too," said Tyler. "We should do it again sometime."

"We should," said Viktor. He shifted his feet nervously as he edged closer to Tyler. In an instant of terror, his boot caught on the hem of his jeans and he stumbled right into Tyler, their lips colliding and teeth almost meeting. Viktor pulled away, blushing, but Tyler still gripped his arms. His eyes were gleaming, his grin so wide that it threatened to split his face in two. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that, I was just going to-"

"Shshsh don't ruin the moment," said Tyler, holding a finger to Viktor's lips. He smiled when Viktor quieted, though his date still looked very flustered.

When their lips met this time, it was on purpose, a lingering kiss that tasted of salty chips and sea air. When they broke apart, Viktor felt calmer, though his head spun. Tyler was still smiling, though.

"Now that's what I call a first kiss," said Tyler. "Perfect way to end a date, huh?"

"Y-yeah," said Viktor, nodding and wondering if he could ask for another. "We should do it again."

"The date or the kiss or you nearly falling on top of me?" Tyler asked, laughing when Viktor rolled his eyes and looked sheepish.

"Let's not repeat that last one," said Viktor. "But yes to the other two."

"You pick the date this time," said Tyler. "You know I'm free anytime." Viktor's heart thundered in his chest as he nodded.

"I'll let you know when I've picked it," said Viktor.

"Good," said Tyler, and leaned in for another kiss.

The door opened as they were kissing, Tyler's hand threading through Viktor's curly hair. Mrs McCleary cleared her throat, causing Viktor to spring away in fright. Tyler sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Good timing," said Tyler. "I almost got my tongue in there." Viktor's heart raced, but Tyler didn't seem bothered. Nor did Mrs McCleary, but she was a nice old lady who wasn't phased by anything.

"Boy, if I had a shilling for every time my parents sprung me like that, I'd be a billionaire living it up in Jorvik City," said Mrs McCleary, shaking her head with a chuckle. "You're more than welcome to come inside for dinner if you want, Viktor."

"Oh, uh, no thanks, I need to get home and put Phantom away before it gets too dark," said Viktor.

"Alright, that's fair enough," said Mrs McCleary, nodding. "Did you boys at least have a nice date?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Tyler. "I'll tell you all about it over dinner."

"Good," said Mrs McCleary. "Do come back here soon, Viktor, you are a wonderful influence on this boy."

"Oh, I plan to," said Viktor, though he disagreed with the old lady's words- Tyler was the good influence on him, bringing light to his life, to his thoughts. "I'll call you, Ty."

"You'd better," said Tyler as he stood in the doorway. Mrs McCleary had vanished back inside the house, no doubt to start serving dinner. "I seriously had a great day."

"Me too," said Viktor. "See you around." He was still buzzing as he left, feeling as though he were lighter than air as he rode back to Jorvik Stables.

And, once he was home, Viktor switched on some Puerto Rican music and danced around his kitchen as he reheated some leftover rice with beans. He hadn't felt this happy in a long time.


End file.
